The Cowboy's Best Friend
by geckofan1
Summary: Chelsea is the new rancher on Sunny Island,and becomes a close friend to none other than the antisocial Vaughn. But, with Julia's interference, will their friendship become something more? My first fanfic!T for possible language in later chapters.
1. A Bad Start

**~Note: This is my first Fanfic. It may suck. All Characters belong to Natsume. Enjoy, Dear Readers!**

*Chapter 1: A bad start*

"Julia…_Julia…_" I sighed. My best friend Julia was asleep again. _So_, I was trying to, er, wake her up with a rubber fish I found in my attic, since she hates fish. However, she wouldn't respond to me poking her. _Over and over and over…._ I lost patience, and pressed the fish's rubber lips to her face.

"Wha- EEEEEK!!! GEDDITAWAYFROMME!!!!" I tried not to laugh as she jumped up, and shuddered at the sight of the fish in my hand.

"Ha ha, Julia, I'm not done yet!" I said maliciously, raising the fish above my head.

"Oh, no you don't!" she retorted, grabbing a pillow off her bed. _Uh, oh._

I dropped the fish and ran into the hallway, trying not to laugh as I turned and saw her angry face.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU SNEAKY-!"

"Jules, it was a _joke! _Nooo, don't hurt me!" I gasped.

I spun around to try to talk some sense into her when I lost my balance. _Again._

"Whoa-!" Instead of crashing to the floor, I was caught by a pair of strong arms. I looked up into two violet eyes with a shocked and slightly annoyed expression.

"Uh, sorry…." I scrambled away as Julia walked in the room.

"Oh, yeah, Chelsea, that's my cousin, Vaughn. He's an antisocial grump, and he's easy to ignore. He's the animal dealer."

I looked at my savior with interest, although he seemed to be trying his hardest to look anywhere but at me. He was dressed in black cowboy attire, with tan vest and boots, and a black Stetson perched atop his mop of silver hair. It was only when Julia broke the silence that I realized I was staring at him.

"Chelse, when you find the time to stop staring at my cousin, I hope you'll remember we had plans today. Or did you forget again?" she said sarcastically.

"Oops, we'd better be going!" I said hurriedly, turning to the door. I tripped, as I always do when I embarrassed myself, and crashed to the floor. Clearly heard over Julia, who was rolling around on the floor busting a gut, was Vaughn, who muttered, "Klutz."

_Excuse me_?! I jumped up and, glaring at him, said," See you later, Julia." I left the shop, trying to hold back tears, and headed towards the forest.

~*~*~later~*~*~

I was hiding, hoping Julia wouldn't come looking for me. The last thing I needed was for her to interfere again. Wiping my eyes on my sleeve, I looked at my surroundings, thinking. I often got teased by other people for being a klutz, so I couldn't understand why it had hurt so much this time. I just met the guy! I heard a rustling behind me and, fearing the worst, I turned around.

"W-who's there?" I asked shakily. I saw Vaughn, looking surprised.

"Crap…." He mumbled, turning to leave.

"What d'you want cowboy?" I said, hoping my eyes weren't red from crying.

"I, uh, didn't think anyone'd be here…." Whoa, he had a really cute southern accent….Wait, WHAT?! BAD CHELSEA!!!

"Oh, well, I was just going anyway…" I tried to brush by without him seeing my face but….too late.

He said, "Wait…" I looked at him curiously. He looked pretty uncomfortable as he said, "Look, I wanted to apologize…"

"Well, I suppose I overreacted, anyway. Sooo…. Friends?" I held out my hand. He hesitated, then, shaking my hand, he said, "Friends." I smiled. Life was about to get a little more interesting….

After Julia taped me to a chair and threatened me with carrots, my most hated vegetable, I told her about Vaughn's apology. That explained why I wasn't trying to kill him, as I would have normally done.

Spring soon passed, and, pestering nonstop, I was able to learn a bit more about Vaughn. He proved to be a good friend, although the one thing that bothered me was how he acted whenever Denny was around. Denny and I have been going out longer than Vaughn's been coming to the island. And even though there were rumors that he'd cheated on his previous girlfriends, I felt I had no reason not to trust him, so I did.

**~Okay! I know this is short compared to other chapters on much awesomer fanfics, but I'm new to this. I dedicate this to a really creepy dream I had, minus Taro going psycho and murdering my dog. JUST KIDDING!! Please R&R? Not too harsh, though.**


	2. Blinded

**~Okay! I decided to upload Chapter 2 as well. I already had 9 very short chapters written, and so I've combined about three into this one. **

I was at the shop, chatting with Julia, while Vaughn was busy working.

"Julia, it doesn't matter how long you drop hints, Elliot will never get the nerve to ask you out. Let's face it, if you don't make the first move, you'll both die alone."

She sighed. "I know. Speaking of which, do you have any plans with _Denny_ today?" she asked, smirking.

"Now, why would I tell you? That would ruin it, you'd just invite yourself along and embarrass me somehow," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Hey, that was_ one time!_" she exclaimed defensively. We laughed, and I sighed. What could possibly go wrong?

Later, Vaughn and I were talking (well, me talking and him listening) and I somehow got Denny in the conversation.

Vaughn scowled, and said, "I can't believe you're still going out with him. You're sure he's not-"

"Ugh! Vaughn, for the last time, he's changed! It's as simple as that! I've found no evidence he's been cheating on me, so just drop it!" I said, exasperated.

"Fine! But don't come crying to me when he breaks your heart, because I'm not going to listen!" He stalked off, and I was left alone and confused.

I went to the beach to meet up with Denny, with the fight still on my mind. That was the first fight we'd ever had, and as I thought about it, it was pretty stupid. Pushing it to the back of my thoughts, I rounded the corner to find Denny and my friend Lanna, kissing. HUH?!

"Ch-Chelsea, I-" he began, but to no avail.

"SAVE IT! I should've known! Y'know, Vaughn was right about you, I should've never gone out with you! We're through, Denny! JERK!!!" I screeched, slapping him. I ran into the forest and, in a clearing I knew well, I cried.

It had started raining shortly before I stopped crying. I was soaked to the skin, and I was slightly dizzy as I got up to leave. By the time I left the forest, I was stumbling, barely conscious. Delirious, I tried to find my way home. However, I couldn't tell where I was anymore. I leaned against the nearest building, fighting to keep from collapsing. I sunk to the ground, and my head was spinning. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a light as the door opened….

I remembered being picked up by a pair of strong arms. I didn't care who it was, I was just happy that someone had thought to help me. After that, my mind went blank.

*Next Day*

"Hey, she's waking up! MOM! VAUGHN!" I hadn't opened my eyes, but I could tell it was Julia.

I said,"Jules, do us all a favor, and shut up."

"Sorry, Chelse." She started babbling a mile a minute, and bombarding me with questions, without giving me time to answer. I sighed. I was in the shop, on the couch under a thin blanket. There was a faint smell of food in the air, which reminded me how hungry I was. Vaughn walked in the room then, giving me a knowing look.

Julia jumped as Mirabelle shouted, "JULIA! CHORES!" "Comin'!" She said, leaving the room. Vaughn started on me.

"What. Were. You. Thinking?!" he began, but I cut him off.

"Uh, let's see… Oh, yeah, I was thinking, 'Gee, Vaughn was right; my boyfriend was a lying cheesebrain.' What else?! Oh, and don't bother telling me off, 'cause I've already realized I'm an idiot, thank you very much. So go ahead, say, 'I told you so!'" I said angrily.

He sighed."Chelsea, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"So why did you?!"

"Because you weren't listening! You were off in your own little world, as usual! I tried to get you to think! Would it help if I said sorry?! I just didn't want to see you get hurt…." he finished quietly.

Whoa. I am so _stupid._ "I really messed things up…" I mumbled.

"You were bound to do that eventually, Chelsea." He chuckled.

"HEY!!!" I stuck my tongue out at him, and pouted in mock-anger.

Julia walked in the room and said, "Chelsea, don't you have chores to do back at the ranch? Taro'll have your hide if you slack off!"

"Crap!" I exclaimed, smacking my forehead with the palm of my hand. I ran to the ranch, and got to work.

My animals were indifferent to my social problems, as usual. Bessie, my star heifer, mooed her greetings as I entered the barn.

"Alright, Bessie, are you ready for the festival next week?" She just looked at me with her chocolate-brown eyes, probably thinking, 'well, are you gonna feed me or not?'

I laughed and set to work, forking fodder into her feeder. As she ate, I brushed her silky, spotted coat. She was beautiful, and I was sure she'd do well, but there were still doubts lurking in my mind. After milking her, I left for the coop, making sure I was ready for the stampede.

I entered, and was surrounded by my best hen, Audrey, and her two daughters, Blythe and Carlie. I waded through, and poured feed into the feeders. Gathering the eggs as I went, I gave them each a pat on the head.

I left, with my rucksack heavy with the benefits of my hard work. Smiling to myself, I set them in the shipping bin, confident that I'd have an excellent payoff. Heading towards town, I didn't notice that my dog, Bandit, was following me until I heard a high pitched yapping. "Alright," I said, letting him come along.

I passed Julia talking to a red-faced Elliot on my way through town. I smiled and waved, which just made Elliot go a shade darker.

I continued on, stopping only when I saw Vaughn, who appeared to be looking for something. Denny walked up then.

"Hey, Vaughn, what's up? Need any help?"

"Go away."

"Right then, let's file that under, 'my bad,'" he said, frowning.

I scowled as he passed, then walked up to Vaughn."Hey, what'cha doin'?"

He sighed, and said, "I'm looking for something, okay?"

"I'll help!" He looked at me.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked.

"Nope!" I replied. It was totally obvious I had put extra sugar in my breakfast that morning.

"Kinda figured," he muttered, and said," It's a box of my work gear. Look over there."

I walked over to the group of bushes he'd indicated, and sure enough, there was his gear. "Found it!" I said cheerily, taking it to him.

He looked a little surprised, and said, "Thanks. See you around Chelsea…."

"See ya!" I said, heading toward the diner. As he walked away, I said, "Antisocial!" to no one in particular, smiling.

I walked into the diner, still in a good mood (though Bandit had to stay outside), and was immediately tackled by Lanna, who was sobbing.

"Oh my goddess, Chelsea, I'm sorry, so sorry! It was just that he came at me and-"

"LANNA!!!" She stopped squeezing me and blubbered, "Can you ever forgive me, Chelse?"

"Lanna, look, I know it's not your fault. You're one of my closest friends; I know you'd never do that to me on purpose." I said reasonably.

"Aww, YAY! YOU'RE MY BESTEST FRIEND EVER!!!!" She started hugging me again, and I saw Natalie behind her, and silently mouthed, 'Help me!' She just shook her head.

"Lanna, I can't breathe-" I managed to gasp.

"Oops, sorry! Oh, I'd better go, see you around!" She said, leaving just like that.

**~Okay, that takes care of Denny.**

**Denny: Hey!**

**Me: Sorry, but it's a Velsea fanfic!**

**Denny: Ok.**

**Me: Well, that's that! Please R&R!**


	3. Festival Fun

**~Yay! I have a fan! Thank you for the review, and here's the next chapter!(I was afraid no one would like this story!)**

**Denny-Can you write one about me?**

**Me-Hey! I've got standardized tests this week! I can only do so much!**

**Denny-Well, jeez! I don't know every detail of your life!**

*Chapter 4: Festival Fun*

It was a sunny Monday when I checked my calendar. I didn't need to, since I heard about the upcoming Cow Festival daily from the other residents, but I was so nervous.

Two days.

Two days until my first festival.

I was obviously freaking out.

Luckily, both of my closest friends would be there for support. Well, okay, Vaughn was there for his job mostly, but Julia would be there, too.

I left my tiny farmhouse for the Animal Shop, stopping only to say hello to Taro.

"Hello there, Miss Chelsea! My gut's telling me it'll be sunny tomorrow!" he said, quite confidently. I tried not to giggle.

"Thanks, Taro!" I replied, walking away. His forecasts were strange, but spot-on accurate.

I walked into the shop, careful not to trip over the door frame, and walked up to the counter.

"Hello, Mirabelle!" I said cheerily.

"Hello, Chelsea. Do you think Bessie's ready for the festival?" she asked.

"I hope! She's healthy, but I'm worried that she'll get sick before the festival," I replied.

"Well, the weather's supposed to be nice these next few days, so I wouldn't worry about it," she said.

"Do you know where Julia is?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Probably talking to Elliot," she replied.

"Thanks!" I said, and left.

Now I was extremely nervous.

That conversation didn't really help much.

~*~*~Day of the Festival~*~*~

"Hey! Chelsea!" I heard Julia calling me from the other side of the meadow. It was the Cow Festival, and I was busy giving Bessie a last-minute brushing.

"What's up?" She said, walking up to me.

"Oh, nothing _exciting._ Just getting ready for my first-ever festival, but no big deal," I said sarcastically.

"Hey!" She said defensively, and I laughed.

"Have you seen Vaughn?" I asked. I hadn't seen hide nor hair of the grumpy cowboy all morning.

"No. He's here, but probably hiding somewhere. You know him and social gatherings," she said, rolling her eyes.

At that moment, there was a call over the intercom Chen and Gannon had set up. "_All contestants bring their animals to the judging area!_"

"Good luck!" Julia called as I walked away, leading Bessie on a rope.

"Alright, Bessie girl, make me proud," I whispered to her as I presented her to the judges. They said nothing, just making notes occasionally on their clipboards.

After a few minutes, they walked away. I let out a sigh of relief, only then noticing that I'd been keeping it back.

"Nervous?" came a familiar, taunting Southern voice behind me.

"Vaughn!" I exclaimed, whirling around. "Where've you been?"

"Watching you," he replied, chuckling.

"Stalker," I muttered.

"Am not."

There was another announcement over the intercom."_All contestants bring their animals to the front!"_

I left Vaughn standing there without a word, too nervous to speak.

I stood near the other ranchers, trying not to puke.

"Aaaaaaaaaand the winner is..." Mirabelle began. I gulped.

"Bessie of Miller Ranch!" she exclaimed.

I was so shocked, I didn't register the cheering at first. Then I was surrounded by what seemed to be the whole Island, celebrating.

"I knew ya had in in ya!" Gannon shouted.

"Excellent job, Miss Chelsea," Taro said, nodding approvingly.

"Miss Chelsea won! Miss Chelsea won!" Charlie and Eliza repeated.

"You did it!" Julia said, throwing her arms around my neck.

But through the crowd, I could clearly see Vaughn, smiling in my direction.

_Best festival ever,_ I thought, petting Bessie.

**~Whew! That ate up a large chunk of my time!**

**Chelsea-Did you have to emphasize how nervous I was? And what's with me calling Vaughn a stalker?**

**Me-It made your win much more special. And anyway, the stalker thing was just a joke.**

**Vaughn-Good. Because I do NOT stalk people.**

**Me-Ugh, you people are so critical. R&R, please?**


	4. Truth or Dare

**Okay! To start, I know that it said chapter 4 at the beginning of the last chapter, but I didn't see it until it was too lateXD. Well, I wanna thank a few people for the great reviews I've gotten:**

**Yami's Girl 117, ShadetheEchidna666, and Soccer-Chan!**

**Thank you!!!**

Chapter 4: Truth or Dare

"I'm bored!" Julia whined, for the fifth time that night.

The girls had come over for a sleepover, and boredom was quickly setting in.

"I know! Let's play Truth or Dare!" Lanna suggested.

"Okay!" everyone said.

"Absolutely NO daring people to play strip-poker with Gannon!" I said jokingly.

"Aww!" Julia said. We all just stared at her.

"I'm just joking!" she said, pouting.

"Alright, Lanna, since it was your idea, you go first. Truth or Dare?" Natalie asked.

"Truth." She, like me, had learned never to say dare.

"Okay.... Did you really crowd surf at your first concert?" She asked. We all laughed.

"No!!!" The pop star said incredulously.

"Okay, then. We believe you," Julia said sarcastically. Lanna just glared at her.

"Natalie, your turn," Lanna said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." Oh, Goddess, help her.

"Alright. I dare you...." She thought for a moment. "To tell Elliot that Julia likes him!"

"WHAT?!" Julia yelled. "You'd better not!"

"Don't worry, I won't. _Yet,"_ She added in an undertone.

"Okay, Chelsea's turn!" Julia said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." I wondered what she'd come up with.

"Okay, is it true...." She thought for a split second.

"Is it true that you like Vaughn??"

WHAT?!

The room was silent.

"I...Uh..."

"Answer the question, Chelse!" they all said, smirking.

"I-I....."I gulped. "I DON'T KNOW!!"I yelled suddenly, freaking out. What kind of a question was that?? He was my best friend!

"'I don't know?' What's that supposed to mean? You either like him or you don't!" Julia exclaimed, looking at me strangely.

"It's _obvious._ She just doesn't want to admit it!" Sabrina said, giggling.

"Oh? Well, what about you and ? You've been hanging out with _Mark_ a lot lately!" Natalie observed.

"W-well...I..." The girls started bombarding her with questions, and I let out a sigh of relief.

I learned a very important lesson from this-

Avoid Truth or Dare whenever possible.

~*~*~Next Day~*~*~

I woke up earlier than anyone else, obviously, and sat around looking for something to do.

There was a knock at my door around eight, and opened it to find Vaughn, looking extremely annoyed.

"Mirabelle sent me to tell Julia she needs her down at the shop," he said, rolling his eyes.

"So what? You're her 'errand boy' now?" I said smirking.

"She's my aunt and my boss. I have to listen to her," he said, turning to leave.

"Whatever, Cowboy," I said, turning to wake everyone up.

"HEY! IT'S MORNING!" I shouted, watching Julia fall right off my couch, and landing on Natalie.

"JULIA! Get OFF!" She shouted.

"Sorry!" she said, scrambling away.

"Julia," I said, once things had calmed down, "Your mother wants your help at the shop."

"'Kay," she said, grabbing her bag and dissapearing into my bathroom.

"Ouch...Hey, Chelsea, if I pay you will you wake me up every morning?" Natalie joked.

"Naw, I prefer ranching," I replied sarcastically.

Lanna and Sabrina laughed.

And so ends another sleepover.

The last one, I hoped.

**Chelsea-Uh...**

**Me-What?**

**Chelsea-Why Truth or Dare?**

**Me-Oh, no reason ;-)**

**Read and Review, my amazing readers!**


	5. Mixed Emotions

**~Well, hello again! I might not be posting chapters daily as I have been, but that's because Standardized Tests are giving me writer's blockXD.**

**Enjoy! I didn't get the idea for this chapter until after I had to get off the computer....The irony. I'll also start writing in POV!**

**Chelsea- I don't like the name of this chapter...**

**Me- Get over it.**

*Chapter 5:Mixed Emotions*

**Chelsea's POV**

"Hey, Chelse! Can you come here for a sec?"

Julia, needing my help?

"Why don't you ask _Elliot?_" I replied, smirking.

"Uh... He's... Helping his mom!" She said hurriedly. "Can you help instead?"

Suspicious behavior=Ain't gonna happen.

"What do you need help with?" I asked suspiciously.

"This feed needs to go in the back room. Do you mind?"

Whatever, I had nothing better to do.

"Fine," I said, picking up about half of the large stack of feed.

"Thanks," she replied cheerily, but I still had doubts.

As we got up to the shop door, she 'tripped' and dropped her stack of feed.

"You go ahead, okay? I'll meet you in there," she said.

I walked in the half-open door and....

"ARRG! JULIA, WHAT DID YOU DO???"

I was sopping wet and not happy.

"Oh, get over it, you fun-killer. It's a joke. You know, meant to laugh at?"she said, trying not to burst out laughing again.

"I'm not two," I said, "and I hope you know you're not gonna get away with this,"I said icily.

"Good luck with that," she said sarcastically, walking into the shop.

*Later...*

**Vaughn's POV**

I _tried_ to stop Julia. Unfortunately, she wouldn't listen to me even if it was between listening to me or a crazy serial killer.

So, right after the 'incident,' Chelsea recruited me to help her get revenge. Obviously, I had no choice whatsoever.

So that left me crouching in a bush outside the shop, wondering why I agreed to this extremely dumb plan in the first place.

_'Because you _know_ you like her,'_ a random voice in my head said.

Damn it.

"Vaughn!" Chelsea hissed. "Where is she?"

"How the hell should I know?!"

"Because you're her cousin!"

"I barely know where I am half the time!"

"Well, who's fault is that?!"

We didn't notice how loud we were.

"What are you two doing?" Mirabelle asked, looking at us strangely.

"Shit," I muttered. I have an idea of what my aunt would make of two adults crouching in a bush.

"You'll never get me alive!" Chelsea exclaimed suddenly, and ran off somewhere.

"Do I want to know?" she asked dryly.

"I barely know myself," I replied, feeling extremely stupid.

**Chelsea's POV**

I stopped running at the bridge to the meadow, the extra sugar I put in my breakfast wearing off.

'_Well, that was stupid,'_ I thought, wondering why I ran in the first place.

I felt...odd about leaving Vaughn to explain to his aunt why we were hiding in a bush.

I could've at least stayed put.

"Hey, Chelsea!" I heard Lanna call. "What's up?"

"The sky," I replied sarcastically.

She just rolled her eyes. "Can I...talk to you? Privately?"

"Uhh....sure?" I said, suspicious.

We got in her very pink house, and I sat down across from her.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"Well..."She began.

"Would it...bother you if I went out with Denny?" she asked timidly.

"Is that it?" I asked, relieved. "You don't have to have my approval, Lanna. It would only bother me if you started making out in public or something."

"Good," she said, sighing with relief. "He asked me out yesterday, but I wanted to see how you'd react, since he did cheat on you..."

"I'm totally cool with it," I said reassuringly. "Anything else before I go?"

"Well...At the party, you never said, y'know, if you really _liked_ Vaughn," she said.

_'What? Again? And why do I have this weird urge to say yes...?'_

"I-I'm sorry if it bothers you, I just wanted to know..."she said quickly. "You don't have to tell me."

"I just remembered, I have to go," I said suddenly. "See you later."

"Later," she said, not sounding convinced.

**Well, another chapter complete! I'm sorry it took so long, but I have a serious case of writer's block.**

**But! Anyway, testing's over, and regular classes start again tomorrow! Which reminds me, I still have homework...**

**Read and Review, darling readers!**

**Chelsea-WAIT, DON'T CLICK-**


	6. Complications

**~Well, then, classes begin once more! I thought the last chapter was a little rambling, but oh well! Check out my poll!**

**Chelsea-I wanted to talk to you at the end of the last chapter before you rudely clicked the save button, but....**

**Me-But what?**

**Chelsea-But now I figure you're gonna answer my question in this chapter.**

**Me-Maybe, maybe not.**

*Chapter 6: Complications*

**Chelsea's POV**

As the rather long day drew to a close, I walked down the sandy path to the beach, hoping to hang out with Vaughn before he left.

I walked up to him, and noticed he seemed to be distracted by something.

"What's up?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing..."

"Come on, Vaughn, I'm no idiot, what's wrong?" I asked again, a little annoyed.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" he asked.

"Well...." I thought for a second. "You never smile, for one thing...."

He snorted. "What's the big deal about smiling, anyway?"

"It makes you seem friendlier, and y'know, that may be why no one talks to you..."

"_You_ talk to me."

"Yeah," I replied, "But that's 'cause you're my friend. DUH!"

"I don't like talking much anyway," he said, looking away.

"As I have said many times, you are extremely antisocial!"

"And I like it that way," he said, smirking.

"You," I said, "Are like, _bi-polar _or something."

"Am not."

"You act like it, though."

"Whatever."

"I'd better get home," I said, "See ya later."

And I ran off without another word.

**Vaughn's POV**

*1 week later...*

I was climbing up the dock again, leaving the damned city, as usual.

"I'd hate to be you, buddy," one of the sailors said as I passed. "There's a major storm rollin' in where you're headed."

Shit.

**Chelsea's POV**

"Hello, Miss Chelsea!" Taro called as I passed. "There'll be a big storm comin' in tonight. Are you prepared?"

"Yeah," I replied. "All the animals are safe and sound in their coop and barn!"

As I walked away, a voice in my head said, '_Vaughn's ship is coming tonight, isn't it?'_

Oh, great, I had enough to worry about.

I walked into the shop, careful to step over the door frame, and sat across from Julia in the kitchen.

"So," I asked, "How are your efforts to reel in your next-door neighbor?"

"Sadly, still not working," she replied, sounding crestfallen.

"Look," I began, "If you don't ask him out soon, you'll still be dropping hints when you're eighty!"

"Oh? And at that time, what about you and the cowboy?" she asked, smirking.

"W-what?"

"Poor, naive Chelsea," she said, waving her finger at me. "It's totally obvious you like each other."

"I...uh..."

"In time," she said mysteriously.

*That Evening...*

I was sitting on my couch, listening to the rain pound against my roof.

I heard an anxious pounding on my door, and opened it to find Julia, her face white.

"Vaughn's boat's gone down!"

**~Ahh, cliffhangers! So cruel, yet so fun. But do not fret, readers, the description did not mention a tragedy!**

**Chelsea- That did NOT answer my question!! And why are you talking funny?**

**Me- I have no idea. Read and Review, please?**


	7. Secret's Out

**~Dun dun dunnn! What's in store for young Chelsea??**

**Chelsea-*sniffle*...**

**Me-Are you...crying??**

**Chelsea-DUH!!*bursts into tears and runs away***

**Me-...**

Chapter 7: Secret's Out

**Chelsea's POV**

Oh. My. Goddess.

"WHAT???!"

"Yeah, we just got word. Don't worry, they think the crew and everybody got in the lifeboats or something...Come down to the shop."

I didn't notice the rain against my skin as we walked into town. I felt numb.

_This can't be happening..._

I sat at the table in the kitchen, staring at the polished wood. No one spoke.

"Chelsea...Would you like to stay here tonight? It's too late to get back to the ranch, and the weather's so bad..." Mirabelle offered.

"Thanks, Mirabelle." I replied. My voice shook, and I could feel the tears stinging the back of my eyes.

_Please, Goddess, let him be okay...._

Suddenly, I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Quickly excusing myself, I locked myself in the hall bathroom, and cried.

I tried to hope for the best, but visions of Vaughn, washed up on the beach, flooded my mind.

I couldn't stand it. How could I? I _loved _him.

I finally figure it out, and for all I know he could be dead.

Just my luck.

I re-entered the kitchen, still silent. The air was thick with worry and tension.

"Any news?" I asked, though I knew the answer.

"No."

Just then, there was a frantic knocking at the door. Denny burst in, and said

"They've found the lifeboat! They're bringing them here, but they didn't say-"

I was already out the door.

I ran blindly down to the beach, stumbling and even falling once, but I just jumped up and continued running, not caring about anything but meeting the rescue crews and hopefully...

_Hopefully finding Vaughn okay,_ the little voice in my head finished.

I saw a strange boat at the dock, with people slowly getting off.

Lightning flashed, and I saw a familiar flash of silver on the dock.

"_Vaughn!!_" I cried, and he turned around.

"Chelsea??"

**Vaughn's POV**

I sat on the dock, thankful I was on dry land again, when I heard a familiar voice.

"_Vaughn!!_"

What was Chelsea doing??

"Chelsea??"

She tackled me, nearly knocking me off the dock, and burst into tears.

"Oh my Goddess, you're okay!!" she sobbed.

"Well, yeah. What are you doing out here, you're gonna get sick..."

"A-are you kidding? You c-could've been _dead_ for a-all I knew, and then Denny shows up a-and..."

Her words were lost in a fresh wave of tears.

I just hugged her and didn't say anything.

A few minutes later, she stopped crying and looked up at me.

"You're soaked," she said, with a weak laugh.

"So are you."

"Well, we'd better get back to the shop before Mirabelle sends out a search party," she said, rolling her eyes.

We left the beach, my arm still protectively around her shoulders.

**Chelsea's POV**

As soon as we got in the door, Mirabelle said, "Thank goodness," and Julia grabbed Vaughn in a chocking hug.

"Julia- Geddoffame-"

"No! You nearly drowned and you expect me to let go that easily?!"

"_Yes,"_ he replied, annoyed, and pushed her away.

"Vaughn," Mirabelle began,"Did your boss say anything about staying in the city until the storm was over?"

"Nope."

"Well, then, I think you should quit," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You could've _died, _and I'm not gonna let that happen again-"

"How the hell would I be able to pay rent without a job??"

"Well, move here then!" she said. "I don't charge ya-"

He rolled his eyes, and I smiled. "I'm with Mirabelle. I'd rather not have to worry about you every week."

"Gee, I wonder why," Julia said sarcastically.

"_Julia!!_" Everyone laughed.

"Okay, but seriously, I think we're all wondering when you two are gonna get together," she said, "I mean, it's totally obvious you are completely in love with each other, and-"

That was enough to make us both red.

"I-I..."

"Julia..."

"What? You know it's true! Vaughn, I'm amazed you haven't asked her out yet-"

"Julia, _shut up!!_" He hissed, going redder.

Everyone laughed again. Julia, you're _so_ gonna get it...

**~Me- Why are you still crying???**

**Chelsea-B-because! It was such a happy ending!!**

**Me- Who said it was gonna end? This story is just beginning!**

**Chelsea- Aww...Yay!**

**Read and Review, my readers! I finished this chapter just for you!**


	8. Finally

**~Well, OK! From here on out it's all just stuff I come up with during the school day. Oddly, that's how I came up with this story....**

**Chelsea- If you do that again, I...I'll....**

**Me- R-e-l-a-x. I'm not gonna try and kill off anyone else. He s_urvived,_ didn't he? On with the story!**

Chapter 8: Finally

**Chelsea's POV**

I woke up the next morning on the couch, sunlight streaming through the shop windows.

So far, no one else was up yet, which was nice after being surrounded by people until 3:00am.

Getting up, I decided to wake up Julia myself, as a bit of payback...

I was sneaking past Vaughn's room, and was about to step in to Julia's when I heard the door open behind me.

"What are you doing?" Vaughn asked, stifling a yawn.

"Trying to sneak up on Julia, genius!!" I hissed, frowning.

"Whatever. Just leave me out of it." he said, walking down the hall.

I rolled my eyes, and walked in to Julia's bedroom.

I was about three feet from her bed when I tripped over something, and crashed loudly to the floor.

"Wuzzgoinon?" Julia said sleepily, sitting up.

"Oh, _nothing,_" I replied sarcastically. "Just purposely tripping and falling to amuse myself."

"Yeah, have fun with that," she said, going back to sleep.

I left her to sleep, figuring it wasn't worth it, and got my clothes to get ready to go back home.

*Later*

I got back to the ranch around eight, and saw the mess the storm had made in my field.

All of my crops were history, and there was a giant rock smack in the middle of the chicken's yard.

"Aw, you gotta be kidding..." It took me three days to plant all of those!

Sighing, I went into my farmhouse to get the tools I'd need to fix this.

**Vaughn's POV**

I watched her leave, fully aware that Julia was watching me.

"Aw...Miss her already, don't you?"

"Piss off, Julia."

"No. My house, I can stand here as long as I want."

"Technically it's Mirabelle's."

"Whatever, I still live here."

I rolled my eyes. Julia was a pain in the ass, especially in the morning.

Mirabelle walked in then. "You two quit fighting, you're getting on my nerves."

"Whatever," I mumbled as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Mirabelle asked. "Vaughn, it's your boss."

Aw, fuck, what'd he want now?

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Kid, we need ya back here pronto. There's a problem-"

"Why don't you ask someone else?"

"Because I asked you. Now get the hell over here, and do as I say."

"Fuck off," I said, hanging up.

"Ooh, Vaughn, you are so fired...." Julia said, smirking.

"I don't give a fuck," I said, walking off.

"Gee, wonder why?" she said sarcastically, smirking.

Sometimes I wished I could just kill her.

**Chelsea's POV**

It took me _five hours_ to clean the fields.

FIVE HOURS!!!

After the job was mercifully complete, I was extremely hungry, having skipped breakfast.

I had a bit of money, fortunately, so I made my way to the diner.

I slipped in the booth across from Vaughn, who was often found here around this time.

"What's up?" I asked, smiling.

"Nothing."

"Your life must be boring, because there's_ always_ something exciting going on in mine!" I said, a little annoyed.

"Well, I like boring."

"Obviously. I don't know anyone else who can eat plain porridge any time of day!" I said, watching him eat.

"It's good to me."

"Humph. To you, maybe, but I can't imagine that. And I supposedly have a five-year-old's imagination!"

"You really need to work on that."

"It doesn't mean I _act _like a five-year-old!"

"Seems like it."

"Jerk."

"I know."

I sometimes wondered why I liked him.

"I'm bored," I said, frowning.

"That's your problem," Vaughn replied, getting up to leave.

_And you're part of the solution,_ I thought mischievously, and whipped his hat off his head.

"Wha- Chelsea!!" Hehe, he looks cute when he's mad...

Wait what? I had to focus on running!

"Give me my hat back!"

"You gotta catch me first!" I called, running to the meadow.

He must be pretty dang fast though, because he'd almost caught up with me by the time I reached the bridge.

And of course, I tripped. For the millionth time.

I fell, landing hard on my side, but otherwise okay.

Vaughn stopped next to me, asking, "Are you okay?"

"I'm still breathing, aren't I?"

"That's not funny, you could've been seriously hurt."

"And since when did you care?!"

"Because I lo-"

He stopped there, looking as shocked as I felt. He WHAT?!

"I-I mean, uh..."

I giggled. "You look cute when you're embarrassed..."

"Huh?" He looked more confused than ever.

"You dork," I said, getting up. "After all that crap I said last night, you _still _don't realize I like you?"

He got redder than I thought was physically possible.

I laughed, putting his hat back on his head. "Are you gonna say something or just stand there?"

He leaned in then, and quickly pecked me on the lips. "Nope."

I heard muffled giggling coming from a bush, and looked up to see Julia burst out laughing.

"FINALLY!!!"

**~Aww! So cute!**

**Chelsea- I'm embarrassed just reading it.**

**Me- Y'know, you could try giving a positive comment once in a while. Where is Vaughn, anyway?**

**Chelsea- I don't know... SKYE WHAT DID YOU DO??**

**Skye- I didn't do anything!! PLEASE DON'T-**

**Chelsea- *shoves curry noodles down throat***

**Skye- *gag-choke***

**I must break up violence now, so read and review? CHELSEA, STOP CHOKING SKYE!!!!**

**(I don't have anything against Skye, Chelsea just doesn't trust him...)**


	9. Julia

**Me-Okay! We found Vaughn tied up in a closet, and Chelsea, do you have something to say to Skye?**

**Chelsea-*mumbling* Sorry I tried to set your hair on fire....**

**Skye-*whimpers***

**Vaughn-I have no clue what's going on now...**

**Me- Either read back a couple of chapters later or just guess.**

**Vaughn- Not what I meant.**

**Everyone-...**

Chapter 9: Julia

**Vaughn's POV**

I watched Julia roll around on the ground, still laughing her fucking head off.

"Okay, Julia, are you like a stalker or something?" Chelsea asked, looking at her strangely.

"N-no, I, just-" she gasped, trying to stop laughing.

"YOU'RE BOTH IDIOTS!!!" she yelled suddenly, _still _laughing like a maniac.

"Walking away slowly..." Chelsea said, backing away from the insanity that was my cousin.

She turned and ran, and it took me a couple of seconds to make up my mind to go after her.

I managed to catch up to her outside the shop, where she was doubled over, breathing hard.

"Your cousin," she gasped, "Needs to see a shrink!"

"I'd noticed."

"Does she always spy on people? Wait, I can answer that- DUH!"

"Whatever, we can always get her back later..."

"Are you kidding? Last time we tried that, Mirabelle caught us!"

"Caught _me_," I corrected her, "_You_ ran off."

"I had a ton of sugar that day!" she exclaimed defensively.

"As always."

"Oh, shut up, Cowboy."

*Later...*

**Chelsea's POV**

I sat on the couch at Mirabelle's, with my head on Vaughn's shoulder.

Julia walked in the room, and immediately caught sight of us on the couch.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I quickly cut her off. "Julia, you've said enough."

"But-"

"One more word and I'll tell Elliot that you watch him from the bushes while he's working!"

She gasped. "You wouldn't _dare_!"

"Do I look like I'm joking??"

"Oh, _fine,_" She said, annoyed slightly. "But I've already told Lanna and Natalie about you two-"

"As we figured you would," Vaughn muttered.

"-so it'll be all over the island soon!"

"Don't care one bit," I said, "You've already gossiped to the point of insanity."

She rolled her eyes. "Can I just say one quick thing?"

"What?!" We said impatiently.

She took a deep breath. "YOU TWO ARE SOOOOOOOOO CUTE TOGETHER!!"

_"Cute??"_ I snorted.

"Yeah, 'cause-"

"You've already said what you meant to say," I said, "So shut up."

"Oh, dear, it's getting dark," Mirabelle said. "You'd better get home, Chelsea."

"I'll walk you home..."Vaughn said, and _of course_ Julia had a comment.

"Ooooh..." She started making kissy-faces at us.

"Stuff it," I said, shoving a pillow in her face.

We walked out the door into the night, people still hanging around in the dim light cast by the street lights.

Several people stared and even pointed at us, whispering to their companions.

"Tiny island equals little topics for gossip," I said, annoyed.

"And things travel around faster than the flu," Vaughn said, which made me giggle.

"How's that funny?"

I thought for a moment. "I don't really know."

We finally got up to the ranch, and stopped at the door. There was a faint barking from inside.

"'Night," I said, kissing his cheek quickly.

"'Night," he replied, slightly red.

I watched him walk away, and went inside, suddenly remembering how much had happened that day.

"Bandit," I said, turning to him, "A _lot _has happened today.

He _woof_ed in response, and began nosing my hand, looking for a scratch behind the ears.

**~Well! There you have it!**

**Julia- Aw...**

**Me- I know.**

**Read & review, please?**


	10. The Jungle

**Alrighty! I've had a severe case of writer's block with a bit of laziness, so that's why this chapter took so long. Enjoy! It should go faster from here....**

**WARNING: POSSIBLE FLUFF.**

Chapter 10: The Jungle

**Chelsea's POV**

I can't imagine today how I ever lived without Vaughn. He was always the one to pick me up when I was down, and encourage me after I'd failed. He seemed cold and rude at first, but after that night, I realized that he was actually really sweet and caring, even if he was a bit standoffish at times. He was everything to me, and I hoped he could say the same.

It's now officially been a full season since Vaughn and I started going out, on the 15th to be exact (sad, I know... I marked it on my calendar).

The fall was pretty at first, but I never notice because I'm constantly checking my rice patties.

I remember one day, around the fourth, that I must've mumbled about it out loud, because...

_"Chelsea, you're basically just trying to watch grass grow," Vaughn said, trying not to laugh._

_"Well, it's kinda important!" I said defensively. "I spent a whole lot of time and energy planting the rice, not to mention the cost of the seeds..."_

_I looked over at Vaughn, who was apparently quite bored with the conversation by then._

_"You could at least try to act as if you care..." I mumbled._

_"I choose not to."_

I laughed a little at the memory, then started walking into town, unconsciously walking to the shop.

"Hey, Chelsea!" I heard Natalie call.

"What's up?"

"I'm trying to decide if I should just-"

"Tell Pierre you like him?" I interrupted. "And then threaten to punch him if he doesn't go out with you?"

"N-no!" she replied. "Why would I do that?!"

"You threaten Elliot at least three times a day," I pointed out. "And Pierre _is-"_

_"_He's not a midget!" she said angrily, her cheeks turning red.

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that," I replied sarcastically. "Whatever tickles your peach."

"...how does that make sense...?"

"It doesn't. Later!"I said, walking away.

I was trying not to look too much like the shop was where I was headed, but unfortunately, I have a habit of going there every day.

"Hey, Miss Chelsea!"

I jumped when I heard Eliza's high-pitched voice coming up behind me as fast as her short legs could carry her.

"Are you going to go see the cowboy again?" she asked pointedly, cocking her head to one side.

"Er..." Is it that obvious to an _eight-year-old?!_

"Well, can you give me some advice?" she asked quickly.

"Uhh....Sure?"

"Okay!" she said happily. "Well, Charlie keeps saying he wants to be my boyfriend, but I'm not sure if I like him or not!"

"Why not?"

"Well, I like more mature boys, and Charlie isn't really, so...."

Normally I'd ask if she wasn't a little young (and what Gannon thought of the idea), but hey, what the heck?

"Well, it's your decision," I said. "Whatever you think."

"Oh. Okay, thanks!" She ran up to Charlie, and they began chatting animatedly.

Bless them. They're so cute.

I decided just to forget being sneaky and walk straight in. I mean, I go there daily anyway, don't I?

I smiled a little at the new doorbell Mirabelle forced Vaughn to put in a few weeks ago. I say 'forced' because the thing _mooed._ Loud. Vaughn had been totally against it.

I immediately caught sight of Vaughn, who rolled his eyes at the bell. However, I didn't get a chance to say hello.

"Morning, Chelsea," Julia said, walking in. "Stealing my cousin again?"

"It's not stealing if he goes willingly," I pointed out.

"Yeah it is, 'cause then I have more work to do!" she whined, her hands on her hips.

"You're lazy, you know that?"

"You only say that 'cause you're already done with your chores!"

"I run an entire _ranch,_ Julia," I retorted, "You can't call me lazy!"

"Whatever, take him," she said, dragging Vaughn by the arm and shoving us out the door.

**Vaughn's POV**

"Well, we can't go back there," Chelsea said, sighing.

I smiled a little when she got the familiar frustrated pout on her face. She looked up at me, her wide eyes questioning.

"Wait, I have an idea!" she said suddenly, grabbing my arm.

"Am I allowed to know where you're taking me?"

"Maybe," she said mysteriously.

It was weird how she could be so talkative one minute, and say nothing the next. She drove me completely insane, but maybe that's why I loved her so much. I remembered the night the ship went down, how she looked so relieved to see me alive, how she didn't seem to want to let me go. I knew now that I wasn't going to let anything hurt her, because she was _mine._ I would give my life just to see her safe and happy.

I let her take me over to East Town, although I still had no idea where she was headed.

That is, until I saw the bridge.

"The jungle?" I asked.

"Yep!" she said, smiling. She looked cute when she was excited like that, so I just went along with it.

That was the best idea with Chelsea.

We walked farther, with Chelsea occasionally tripping over thin air.

The hundredth time she did this, she said, "Why am I such a klutz?"

"Don't know," I said, "have you tried watching out?"

"Again," she said, "_BI-POLAR."_

_"_Here," I said quietly. I helped her to her feet, and quickly picked her up, smirking.

"H-hey!" she stuck her tongue out at me.

"You were tired of tripping," I pointed out.

"I didn't ask to be carried," she mumbled. "Put me down!"

"Fine." I set her down, and she frowned up at me.

"What?"

"Nothing." she thought for a moment.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath. "Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?"

"...What the fuck...?"

She smiled. "A season ago, you would've never done that."

"People change."

"Yeah, but when you're going out with them it's weird..."

I rolled my eyes. She could be so random.

She walked a little ahead of me, occasionally stopping to look at something on the path. I thought I kept hearing something in the trees, but shrugged it off. It was probably just a bird or something.

"Hey, Vaughn!" Chelsea called. "See that?"

I looked where she was pointing, and saw a column of smoke above the trees.

"I heard there were still natives on the island," she said excitedly. "Maybe that's them!"

Oh, crap. If she was right, we'd better be careful....

**Chelsea's POV**

Vaughn acted sort of weird after I mentioned the possibility of island natives. I know he was just worried about me, but it was a little annoying.

We kept walking, and I heard a weird rustling noise above my head. I swore I even saw something _huge _once or twice, but I ignored it.

We broke through the trees after a while, and saw a small hut.

I turned to Vaughn to say 'I told you so', but then something dropped out of the trees in front of me. Actually, _someone_.

He was most definitely a native, judging by the skins he wore and the strange, wild look about him. Normally it wouldn't freak me out as much, but he was holding a sharp dagger that looked as though it wouldn't take much force to kill.

Vaughn immediately put his hands protectively on my shoulders, and for once I didn't mind.

"Who are you?" The stranger asked. "What you doing here?"

Vaughn's grip tightened on my shoulders, and I backed up a little.

"Who are you?" he asked again, his eyes darting from me to Vaughn.

"Er...Well, I'm Chelsea, and that's Vaughn." I replied shakily. Vaughn gave me a what-are-you-doing look, but I ignored him.

"Chelsea...Vaughn..." he repeated.

"I Shea. You be friends with Shea?" He asked, brightening.

"Uh..Sure,"I replied.

"Good. I happy!" Shea said, smiling. It was cute and a little creepy.

"Friends come meet Wada," he said, turning to the hut. I had no idea who 'Wada' was, but I hoped he was friendly.

We walked in after Shea, Vaughn keeping his arm around my shoulders. There were skins pegged to the wall, and mats on the floor. One one of the mats, next to a roaring fire, was who I supposed was Wada. He was much older than Shea, and had a small bone in his nose. Ew.

"Wada," Shea began. "These new friends, Vaughn and Chelsea."

Wada looked at us closely, as though sizing us up.

He turned to me and asked, "You and Vaughn.... mates?"

I could feel my cheeks burning, and I could tell Vaughn was red too.

"Er...no." I replied, extremely embarrassed.

"Ah..." Wada took a long look at Vaughn but said nothing.

"Friends come often?" Shea asked.

"Sure," I said. "We'll come."

"Yay! I happy!" Shea said.

We stayed for a little while, answering questions from Wada and Shea, and finally managed to leave as the sun began to set.

"Glad that's over," Vaughn said when we were back in town.

"I know. All I could think about was getting out of there!"

We walked back into West Town, but Vaughn insisted he walked me all the way back to the ranch.

"'Night, Vaughn," I said, waving.

"'Night, Chelsea," he said, walking back.

I found a note on my table, in Julia's huge handwriting:

_Chelsea,_

_Meet me at the diner tomorrow at 9 o'clock. No exceptions._

_Julia_

"What is this all about?" I wondered aloud.

**~I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've ever written. But I like it!**

**Please, my patient readers, R&R!!**


	11. A Scheme and a Question

**Thanks again for the awesome reviews! I've finally broken the writer's block, so on with the story!**

Chapter 11: A Scheme and a Question

**Chelsea's POV**

"Alright, Julia, what do you want?"

I was at the Diner, 9 o'clock as she'd requested. I slipped in the booth, still wondering what she had in mind.

"Well," she began,"I just want to talk like the old days."

"Old days?"

"Before you and my cousin were all lovey-dovey," she said, rolling her eyes.

She ignored my splutter and continued. "I also have a plan."

"For what?"

She sighed. "Well, I've finally accepted Elliot won't ask me out by himself..."

"So?"

"He needs a nudge in the right direction," she explained. "And_ you_ can help me."

"How??"

She leaned over and whispered her plan in my ears. I gotta say, it was pretty good.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I also have a question!"

"What?"

"Oh, I'll ask you later," she said. "It can wait."

"Okay...?"

~*~*~Later~*~*~

**Vaughn's POV**

I hated to admit it, but it was really boring when Chelsea wasn't around.

I decided to go see if I could get her away from Julia, when I saw her talking to that weird kid, Elliot.

What the fuck?!

"...So anyway, y'know, you should really try talking to her," Chelsea said.

"Oh...Okay.... Thanks, Chelsea."

She turned away, nearly running into me. "Oh, hey Vaughn!"

"Er...what was that about?"

"Oh! Julia asked me to talk to Elliot for her, 'cause he's most definitely not gonna ask her out anytime soon. And she bribed me."

She pulled out a bar of chocolate, and smiled weakly.

"Sugarholic."

"No, I'm a _choclaholic," _she corrected, poking me.

"Whatever."

"Omigosh!" she randomly blurted. "I forgot! Later!!"

"....okay...."

**Chelsea's POV**

I _completely_ forgot to report to Julia!

"You retard," I said, hitting my forehead with my fist as I raced to the shop.

I ran over, but stopped and hid in a bush when I saw two familiar people.

Elliot (red, as usual) was talking to Julia. He got a shade darker as he asked her something, and she squealed, hugging him so tight he got even redder.

She saw me, and immediately ran over.

"It worked! Thanks_ so_ much Chelsea! I owe you big time!!"

"Yeah," I mumbled as she hugged me. "What was that you wanted to ask me?"

"OH! Well, I wanted to know..." she paused.

"Yeah?"

"When is Vaughn moving in with you? _Please _tell me soon, please!"

"I- What??" I stuttered.

"_When is he moving in with you??"_

"I-"

Vaughn, moving in with me? I'd never really considered it. Of course, he lived on the Island now, and I _was _his girlfriend, but... That would be so awkward!!

"Earth to Chelsea!!"

"Wha- Sorry!!"

"So??"

"W-well...I dunno..."

"Ask him. _Please." _she begged.

"Last time I checked, it was you who owed me." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but this benefits you too! He's _your _boyfriend!"

"Well...." I still wasn't sure. What if he said no?

"I'll think about it," I replied, sighing.

~*~*~Next Day~*~*~

I still wasn't fully sure, but... I had to try. If I did, at least I could say I had.

I took a deep breath, and walked in the shop.

"Hey, Vaughn, could I... talk to you?"

I could tell julia was watching us, but I was too nervous to care.

We walked into his room, which I'd only been in on one occasion before. It was plain, of course, with simple furniture and his bag thrown in a corner. He sat on the bed, and I sat next to him, my nerves at a breaking point.

"So, well, I was wondering, if y'know..e-er..."

"Yeah?"

I took a breath. "_Will you move in with me??"_

His face was expressionless, and at first I was worried I'd freaked him out. But then he grinned.

"Sure."

"_Good," _I said, relieved. He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You were so nervous," he said. "Was it really that difficult?"

"Shut up," I mumbled embarrassedly.

**~Mwahahaha! That was so fun to write! It flowed so easily. I think I have an idea of where to go from here. **

**I love that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I read your comments! Please, Read and Review!**


	12. Pairing Off

**Well, now! Thanks again to my regular reviewer peoples out there, you guys totally made my day!XDDD**

**Even if you don't review regularly or haven't (even if you think this story is a piece of crap), thanks for reading!!!**

Chapter 12: Pairing Off

**Chelsea's POV**

Living with Vaughn was extremely awkward at first, but after a week or two it was like he'd been there forever.

The fall passed fast, and before I knew it, the first snow covered the island. I woke up _freezing_ that morning, and was a little annoyed when Vaughn refused to get out of bed.

_"Vaughn, get up off your lazy butt NOW!!"_

_"No."_

___I decided I had no choice. I grabbed a glass of water off the nightstand, and poured it on Vaughn, to end up laughing my butt off._

___"What the fuck, Chelsea?!!" he yelled, jumping out of bed._

_"I told you to get up, stupid," I said, giggling._

It took a LONG time for me to stop laughing after that. Vaughn was pretty mad at first, but he can never stay mad at me.

I was walking down the newly made road, headed to the Diner to meet Vaughn for lunch.

I noticed Pierre and Natalie chatting animatedly, and I waved (Natalie was _soo _embarrassed!)

I passed into East Town, enjoying the way the snow and ice made everything sparkle.

I saw Sabrina hand-in-hand with Mark out the corner of my eye. They were the perfect couple!

I walked in the Diner, the deliciously warm air washing over me.

"Hey," Vaughn said, smiling when he saw me.

"Hey. It's so cold out..."

He chuckled. "Of all things you could be complaining about, you choose the _weather..._"

"Hey!" I retorted. "I happen to hate cold weather, thank you very much!"

"I know. I'm just messing with you," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Well... Anything interesting going on?" I asked, as a slight joke.

"I would think you would know, seeing as your best friend happens to talk more than should be humanly possible."

"She's too busy drooling over Elliot," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "Anyway..."

"Yeah?"

"Have you noticed that everyone one on the Island is pairing up now?" I asked, truly amazed I hadn't really noticed myself by now.

"Like?"

"Well, there's us obviously, and Julia and Elliot, Natalie and Pierre, Mark and Sabrina, Lanna and Denny...."

"Do you have a point?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, it's sort of weird how things have worked themselves out. Everyone seems to have someone here..."

"Coincidence."

"So it's coincidence that I crashed into you in the spring?"

He smiled at the memory. "No."

"Then what's your theory?"

"I don't have one," he replied. "I just go with it."

I rolled my eyes. He could be really difficult....

**Vaughn's POV**

Damn it. I hated taking extra shifts at the shop, just because my cousin was too busy chasing after some nerd....

Mirabelle walked in, carrying a few extra bags of feed.

"I need you to put these in the back room. We're out of room in the storage shed."

"Whatever," I said, taking the feed.

"And Vaughn..."she said, stopping me. "I need to talk to you for a second."

"Okay...?" What did she need to talk to me for?

"I want to know how you really feel about Chelsea." she said, looking at me sternly.

"E-er...Why, exactly?" What the fuck?

"I just want to know if you truly care about her," she said.

"Well... yeah, I do." Great, now my face was red....

I have no clue where the answer came from. I just knew that it was true.

Where was she going with this?

"Your mother left you something after she died... She said specifically in her will that I was to give it to you."

I flinched. My mother died when I was little, after my dad left her. I didn't even consider the contents of her will....

"She said," Mirabelle continued,"Only to give this to you when you'd found someone you cared about."

She pulled a small chest of a shelf. It must've been up there for years. She opened it, and pulled out...

A blue feather.

If I wasn't red before, I was now.

"It's your decision whether or not to give it to her," she said. "I'm just doing what your mother wanted."

"Er...Thanks."

I took the feather from her, completely shocked. Would I really consider proposing to Chelsea? I loved her, but....we hadn't really been together all that long. And what bothered me most was....

How would she react if I did?

I put the feed up, still thinking. Would I?

_Should _I?

**Ahh! That didn't take long at all! I would've had it posted the next day, but I couldn't get on the computer.**

**Vaughn- WHY ARE YOU TORTURING ME?!**

**Me-Where've you been the last few chapters?**

**Vaughn- Hiding in shame.**

**Me- Oh shut up.**

**Read & Review, if you please!!**


	13. Conflicted

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! I could barely sleep with anticipation of writing this chapter! I'm seriously trying not to go squealing my head off!!!**

**I think this is probably going to be my favorite chapter of all!!!**

**Vaughn- Please, be quiet.**

**Me- Wait I'm almost done. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! Now I'm done.**

Chapter 13: Conflicted

**Vaughn's POV**

I went through the entire day with the blue feather on my mind. How the _hell_ am I supposed to propose to her??

"Vaughn, stop daydreaming!!" Julia said, hitting me.

Crap. The last thing I needed was to space out right now.

Finally, my shift was over, and I could get away from everyone for a while.

Or not.

"Hey, Vaughn!" I heard Chelsea calling me. "Done with work?"

"Yeah." Even though I was slightly annoyed, I couldn't help but smile.

"Cool! So, d'you wanna hang out later? Lanna called me over for something important," she rolled her eyes,"And I said I'd go right away."

"Yeah, okay."

"Awesome!" She said, smiling.

So that left me with nothing to do.

"Hey, Vaughn." What did that twerp Mark want?

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you, since Chelsea is my sister and all...(**Did I forget to mention that?**)"

"Okay then."

"Well...I wanna know how much you care about her." Deja vu.

"Why?"

"Well, she's my little sister!" he retorted. "I would like to know if her boyfriend really cared about her!"

"You wanna know how much I care about Chelsea?" I snarled. I pulled out the blue feather. "_That _much."

Thank Goddess no one was around.

"Oh.... Okay, then," he said, looking sheepish. "Have you planned on when you're going to ask her?"

"I have no fucking idea," I admitted, feeling stupid.

"Well..." He thought hard, and I swore he and Chelsea looked the same deep in thought.

"Well, at this point, I guess you'll just have to wing it and hope for the best," he said. "Later."

Well, that conversation did absolutely nothing to help.

**Chelsea's POV**

"A fashion emergency? You called me out here for a _fashion emergency?!_"

"A big one!!" Lanna said defensively. "I'm going on a very important date tonight and I have _nothing _to wear!" she wailed, looking around in despair.

I looked around Lanna's room. She must've had an entire mall in her closet, with every clothing garment known to man.

And everything was out of her closet, with Lanna drowning in a sea of silk and satin.

"Well...." I said uncertainly, "Have you tried altering a dress you've already worn? I bet we could even get Sabrina to help," I offered.

"That's an _amazing _idea! Thanks, Chelse, you're the best!"

"I'll go ask Sabrina really quick. Be back in a flash!" I said, wading through clothing to the door.

I was relieved when I got out of there. How many shopping trips did she take in the city?!

I was making my way to Regis' mansion when Vaughn caught up with me.

"Hey, Chelsea, can I talk to you?"

"Oh, well, er, I promised to help Lanna. It won't take long!" I said, catching the look on his face. "I'll see you later!"

I turned away, but not fast enough to miss the crushed look on his face. What was he up to?

I couldn't think about that right now! I had to see Sabrina!

I entered the mansion, still stunned today by it's size. I walked straight into the library, where she was sure to be.

"Hey, Sabrina? Do you have a minute? Lanna needs a little help..."

"Oh? With what?"

I explained the situation to her, and she nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll help. By the way, I wanted to ask you..."

"Yeah?"

"W-well, does it bother you that I'm going out with Mark? I mean, he _is _your brother and all..."

"Of course not! You've been my friend forever, and quite frankly you're like a sister to me!"

"Thanks, Chelsea."

"Now come on. A pop star needs our help!"

~*~*~Later~*~*~

Lanna stood in front of her full-length mirror, twirling from side to side in her "new" dress.

The dress was shocking pink, the ruffled skirt ending at her knees, and a single strap went around her shoulder. She turned and beamed at the two of us.

"It's perfect! Thanks a million!!"

"All in a day's work," I said dramatically, flipping my chestnut hair over my shoulder. Everyone laughed.

"Oh, I'd better go, I promised to meet Mark..." Sabrina said, checking her dainty wristwatch.

"What, he hasn't asked you to call him Markie yet?" I asked, giggling.

"No, I prefer Mark," Sabrina said sarcastically, blushing a little.

"Well, I gotta go too," I said. "See y'all!"

They giggled at my accent. I was a born and raised Southern girl, which was a little ironic (I _am_ going out with a cowboy!).

I walked down the street, taking in the fresh winter air. It was really pretty, with the snow and ice sparkling from all directions....

"Chelsea!" I heard Vaughn calling me. I turned around and waited for him to catch up.

"Yeah?"

"I want to talk to you."

"Okay."

I looked at him expectantly, but he shook his head.

"Not here. Let's head back to the ranch..."

What was he up to?

We got back to the ranch, and I went inside, wondering what was so important. He looked around shiftily, trying not to meet my gaze. What was up? I was getting tired of guessing.

"Chelsea.... You know I love you. A-and..."

He got down on one knee. Oh, Goddess, he wasn't...

"...And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He pulled out a blue feather....!

_"Will you marry me?"_

OH MY GODDESS!!!

"YES!!" I replied, hugging him. "Yes yes yes YES!!"

I was nearly in tears, I was so happy. I would've never imagined, in a million years, that anyone (much less an antisocial cowboy like Vaughn) would love me this much. I took the feather and beamed. I was going to remember this for the rest of my life, no matter what.

"I want to tell Mirabelle and Julia," he said. "Will you come with me?"

"Yeah."

We walked in town, and I felt as if I was walking on air. I'd never been this happy in my life.

We walked inside, Mirabelle looking up from her work.

Julia walked in then, looking at us suspiciously.

"We have news," Vaughn said, looking at me. I pulled out the blue feather.

"Aww!!" Julia said, rushing forward to hug me.

"Ow...." I flinched. I noticed Mirabelle was giving Vaughn a knowing look. Was she in on this?

"Vaughn!!" Julia exclaimed, punching him in the arm. "You big softie! I would've never thought, in a MILLION years, that you would get married!!"

"Julia...." Vaughn mumbled.

"-And I mean, you two are like polar opposites, 'cause she's so happy and peppy all the time, and you're, like...."

"Julia!" I yelled.

"What?"

"_Please,_ shut up."

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes.

"When's the ceremony, you two?" Mirabelle asked. I looked up at Vaughn.

"Maybe a week or so?" he suggested.

I nodded. "A week sounds good."

We smiled. Julia began babbling again, but I didn't care. I was the happiest I'd ever been in my life.

**YAY, IT'S FINISHED!!**

**Chelsea- It's over?**

**Me- Of course not. I'm just happy this chapter is finished!**

**This story is only just beginning! Read and review, readers! (I've run out of adjectives...)**


	14. The Big Day

**Now do you see why I was so excited? Well, that and I had a ton of sugar.... But! Anyway, on with this story!**

**(PS: Churros are AWESOME!)**

Chapter 14: The Big Day

**Chelsea's POV**

Oh my Goddess.

It was the big day- my wedding day. As much as I would've loved to be perfectly calm, I couldn't. I kept thinking about everything that could go wrong-

And a whole lot could go wrong.

"Okay, Chelsea, are you paying attention?" Julia asked.

The girls and I were getting ready in Alisa's room at the church. My dress was simple, the traditional white, with a floor-length skirt.

"Okay... Put this one here... No not there! _There!!_"

Julia and Lanna were fixing my hair. It had been curled, and piled onto my head, held into place by barrettes. A few curls hung down, brushing my shoulders.

I looked in the mirror. I had to admit, they did a fabulous job. I was a little wary of the makeup at first, but they didn't put on very much at all.

"You look _beautiful,_ Chelsea," my mom gushed, her eyes filled with tears.

I'd called my parents soon after Vaughn and I were engaged. They came to the Island the next day, thrilled.

I still felt nervous when they announced I was perfect.

"Oh, wait!" Julia cried. "Lemme check. Okay, the dress is new, the barrettes are borrowed, the shoes are old..."

My mom nodded. She'd saved the shoes for me, because she'd worn them at _her _wedding (odd tradition, isn't it?).

"Something blue!" she said. "Anyone?"

"Oh! I just remembered..." Sabrina pulled out a sapphire blue ribbon.

"I thought it would match your eyes..." she said shyly, tying it on my wrist.

"That's it! We're ready!" Julia announced.

I walked out of the room, feeling extremely nervous as my mother handed me the bouquet. She went to sit beside Mirabelle, and that left us to wait.

"Okay, the music's starting..." Julia said. Lanna started down the aisle, with a wink at Denny. Sabrina followed her, with a glance at Mark, the best man. It was just me and Julia.

"Okay, you know the drill. I go in, you count to five, then follow me." Julia was the main mastermind behind the whole wedding. I watched as she walked in. I gulped and started counting.

_One..._ Oh my Goddess, I was so nervous...

_Two... _I could hear whispers.

_Three..._ Had I waited too long?

_Four... _I wondered if there had ever been a bride who puked....

_Five..._ I walked inside, terrified.

I could feel everyone's eyes lock onto me, which wasn't really helping. I gave my mother a weak smile, then looked up.

Vaughn's deep violet eyes met mine, and I immediately felt all the tension drain away. He was smiling softly, his hair shining (Julia said there was no way he was wearing his hat.) I smiled confidently. After what seemed like ages, I made it to the front of the church. I took Vaughn's hand, and Nathan cleared his throat.

"We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Vaughn and Chelsea," he said.

My stomach did a few flip-flops. Screw the engagement, this definitely topped that.

"Vaughn, do you take Chelsea to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do," he replied, looking at me.

"Chelsea, do you take Vaughn to be your lawful wedded husband?"

"I do," I replied, my soft voice echoing throughout the silent church.

"Then I pronouncce you married for life. You may kiss the bride," he said, nodding at Vaughn.

He kissed my lips softly. Everyone began clapping, and I could hear Charlie and Eliza clearly.

"Aww!" Eliza said, squealing.

"Ew!" Charlie said, sticking his tongue out.

We made our way outside, where everyone was gathered to see us off. I saw my mother and Mirabelle crying into handkerchiefs, and my dad was looking at Vaughn with an odd expression on his face.

"So many people came..." Vaughn murmured.

"Yeah." I could hear the bells ringing, and I saw the Harvest Goddess in her pond giving me a thumbs-up.

Like I said, this was the greatest moment of my life.

_So far,_ the little voice in my head said. I couldn't help but agree.

**YAY!!! I'm sorry I didn't have this up earlier, I had to get off early yesterday.**

**Vaughn- You only wrote this in one point of view.**

**Me- Oh? Sorry, but if I had put something in your point of view, it probably would've been really sappy.**

**Vaughn- ...**


	15. One Year After

**I am SO sorry! I have had a ton going on lately, but now summer vacation is here! Also, I basically hit a wall after the wedding... Please, please forgive me. But anyway, here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 15: One Year After...

**Chelsea's POV**

I woke up that morning, with winter sunlight streaming in the window. Vaughn was still asleep, his arm wrapped around my waist protectively.

However, I had chores, and got up reluctantly, noticing the little note on the calendar. Dang, it had been a year already?

I walked outside, the light bright and sparkling. While I was in the barn, I reflected on everything that had happened this past year...

Natalie and Pierre were now getting serious... However, it was still funny watching them go down the street, hand in hand (They looked more like big sis with little brother).

Mark and Sabrina were married now... Regis was furious when they told him they were engaged...

Julia and Elliot... I'm not sure if he'll ever have the guts to propose...

Denny and Lanna... They married shortly after we did, and already had a child...

Bessie mooed loudly, and I looked down to realize I was brushing her face.

"Sorry, Bessie girl!" I said quickly. "I was distracted..."

She was still cranky when I left the barn. I walked in the coop, where the three chickens I had surrounded me.

After feeding and gathering their eggs, I sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, with Carlie in my lap. She squirmed as I stroked her soft feathers, still thinking.

That is, until Julia burst into the coop.

"OMIGOD, ELLIOT-"

She shut up when she saw me on the ground, covered in scratches and feathers.

"What happened?"

"You did," I said, rolling my eyes. "Now what was so important you had to bust down the door of my chicken coop?"

"Elliot _proposed,_" she said, her eyes tearing up. "The wedding will be in a week. Would you be my maid of honor?"

My brain was still processing the information. He actually proposed? Then what, he fainted?

"Yeah!" I said.

"Great! Come by the shop later, I want to start planning right away..."

"Alright," I said exasperatedly, and figured I should do something about those scratches...

I got back to the house, and walked in to the smell of breakfast cooking.

"Thank Goddess," I said, flopping down into my seat.

"What happened to you?" Vaughn asked, chuckling.

"Julia," I said, rolling my eyes. "She ran directly into the coop, freaking out the chickens."

"Typical." he said, shaking his head. "What was so important?"

"The unthinkable has happened," I said dramatically, throwing my arms into the air. "The nerd proposed."

He raised his eyebrows in suprise. "I suppose he fainted afterwards?"

"I forgot to ask," I said, trying not to laugh. "Anyway, I have to go by the shop later, she wants to start planning, because they've decided a week was enough time..."

Vaughn put a plate of food in front of me. "As long as you still have your sanity afterwards, I really don't care."

I remembered the planning for our wedding. Julia drove me up the wall, calling me at midnight because she'd just thought of something.

I wolfed down a few bites of food, then felt suddenly nauseous. I ran into the bathroom and puked, thinking _What the hell?_

"Chelsea?" Vaughn said worriedly, putting a hand on my back. "Are you okay?"

"M'fine," I mumbled, a little dizzy. "Healthy as a horse."

He gave me a look. "Nice try, Chelsea, but I'm getting Dr. Trent."

"I _said,_ I'm fine," I insisted.

"I'm still going, Chelsea."

"Urgh." I sat on the couch, scowling. He could be so stubborn...

I sat there for a few minutes, Bandit keeping me company. Vaughn finally came back in with Dr. Trent.

"So what seems to be the problem, Chelsea?"

_~A few minutes later...~ _**(I am so lazy...)**

Dr. Trent was going over the notes he'd made on his little clipboard, nodding and muttering to himself.

"Well, I have good news," he said, smiling. "You're not sick."

I blinked.

"You're pregnant!"

"Wha-?"

I had barely registered this information before Vaughn fell to the floor in a dead faint.

"My tough, emotionless cowboy," I said jokingly, rolling my eyes and smiling.

Dr. Trent got some smelling salts out of his bag. Vaughn came to _very _quickly.

"S-seriously?" Vaughn asked, his eyes wide.

"Yes," Dr. Trent said, chuckling. "You're due around midsummer."

I was shocked. I had never really imagined Vaughn and I as parents. But hey, why not?

**TADA! Again, sorry to have kept you waiting, folks, but it should go fairly quickly from here! Thank you for all my regular reviewers, your comments make me smile!**

**Read and Review!**


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